Tag: Leadership & Productivity

There’s a good reason curiosity is having a moment in the workplace: It makes people better at their jobs. When you’re curious about a subject, you learn and remember more, thanks to the fact that your brain treats the new knowledge as a reward instead of a requirement. A curious mindset also makes you less prone to bias and stereotyping because, according to Harvard Business School’s Francesca Gino, it leads you to look for alternative theories for what you think you know. That helps you make smarter decisions.
— Read on curiosity.com/topics/bosses-dont-encourage-curiosity-as-much-as-they-think-they-do-curiosity

Learning how to say No is incredibly important in our lives. Doing so helps us maintain healthy boundaries and relationships with others and ourselves and also allows us to be more thoughtful and committed to the things we say Yes to. In spite of understanding the benefits of being able to say No when needed, many
— Read on psychcentral.com/blog/building-healthy-boundaries-14-different-ways-to-say-no/

“If you want to go far, borrow the mindset known in Zen Buddhism as shoshin, or learner’s mind. That means you don’t pretend to know it all but are open to learning and growth and development, with a mind that’s fresh and enthusiastic and free of bias. Experience holds lessons for us all, but you have to remain teachable to take advantage of them.”

1. Successful people don’t take failure too seriously

2. Successful people accept who they are and what they are about

3. Successful people set goals and work to achieve them

4. Successful people don’t leave things to chance

5. Successful people don’t let themselves get sidetracked by problems

6. Successful people are decisive

7. Successful people are continually learning

A recently discovered type of brain cells called mirror neurons have been found to fire when a person observes a behavior in a similar way to when the brain is experiencing the action itself. Mirror neurons explain, for example, the sensation of cringing when watching a video of another person getting hurt. Human neuroimaging studies have shown a similar brain pattern when we feel pain and when we observe someone else experiencing that same pain. This is an important reaction for demonstrating empathy, but

When the workplace feels challenging but not threatening, teams can sustain the broaden-and-build mode. Oxytocin levels in our brains rise, eliciting trust and trust-making behavior. This is a huge factor in team success, as Santagata attests: “In Google’s fast-paced, highly demanding environment, our success hinges on the ability to take risks and be vulnerable in front of peers.”

The funny thing is that stories of such brilliant insights spurring out of deep thought aren’t unique. Throughout history, luminaries ranging from Charles Darwin to Friedrich Nietzsche have attributed much of their genius to the many hours they spent lost in their mind.

“If you’re able to show that you can manage your emotions (especially when everyone else is losing their cool), collaborate with a variety of people, listen well, and offer constructive feedback, you’ll be way ahead of the curve come annual review time. And you may even find an open path to your dream job in the coming years.”